The Second Chance Shoe Shop

by Marcie Steele

  ‘So, do you want me to come dancing with you?’ Sarah shouted through from the kitchen, while she waited for the kettle to boil.

  The question took him by surprise and he went in to her. ‘Well, yes, I suppose.’

  ‘You suppose?’ Sarah looked mock-insulted. She took one of his hands and put it around her waist. The other she clasped in the air. ‘I can do a mean tango,’ she said, proceeding to lead him across the tiny kitchen floor.

  ‘You don’t do it like that.’ Dan pulled her nearer and rested his cheek on hers. Then he strode across the room with her, humming a tune as he did so.

  Sarah laughed as he turned. She followed his lead and they did it again. After a minute, laughing as they tangoed and then waltzed around the kitchen, they stopped, staring at each other while they caught their breath. The air was full of anticipation.

  Sarah leaned forward and kissed him. It felt so good that for a moment he forgot to kiss her back. Within seconds, she reached for his jumper and pulled it over his head. He gasped as she touched the bare skin on his back. It was as if he’d been woken from a very long sleep. Sarah took his hand and led him through to the bedroom. As they removed each other’s clothes, Dan felt the passion building. They began to caress each other, knowing exactly how to give each other maximum pleasure. It felt so good to be together once more.

  Afterwards, for a moment it was awkward again, until Sarah spoke.

  ‘That felt . . . strange,’ she admitted. ‘Kind of familiar but new at the same time.’

  Dan nodded. ‘I was thinking the same thing.’

  Sarah sat up. ‘Perhaps we should stay in bed and then do it again in a little while – you know, just so that it seems more natural. What do you think?’

  Dan grinned. Oh, he was all for that.

  ‘I can’t see any harm in it,’ he said, as he pulled her into his arms again. How he’d missed doing that, holding her, making love to her.

  And the next time, he was going to take the lead.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ’How are you feeling this morning?’ Dan asked Riley when they got into work. ‘I was checking Twitter last night. It seemed to be dying down a little.’

  ‘I’m okay,’ said Riley. ‘At least I’m today’s chip paper, so to speak. Someone else will take a battering online today, no doubt. How about you?’

  Dan beamed.

  ‘Don’t tell me you’ve had a date that’s gone well!’

  Then he blushed.

  ‘Oh!’ Riley gasped. ‘You’ve had a second date, haven’t you?’

  Dan checked to see that Sadie wasn’t in hearing distance before looking back at Riley. ‘I have, and I haven’t.’

  ‘That sounds ominous.’ She beckoned him over to the till. Sadie was busy trying to persuade a three-year-old girl to take red pumps when she really wanted blue. There were only red ones left in her size and Sadie was trying to persuade her that red was a special colour.

  Seeing Dan gnawing on his bottom lip, Riley knew that he wanted to speak but was unsure of the reply he’d get.

  ‘Come on, spill,’ she encouraged. ‘If she wasn’t the Bride of Godzilla, then what was she like?’

  ‘My blind date last week . . .’ Dan paused for a moment. ‘Turned out to be Sarah.’

  Riley frowned before her eyes widened in disbelief. ‘As in, your Sarah?’

  Dan nodded and quickly told her what had happened.

  ‘So why the long face?’

  ‘Because I wasn’t sure how you’d react.’

  Riley snorted. ‘Like I’m the one to give out relationship advice.’

  ‘But you and Sadie were so pleased when I finished things with her.’

  ‘That was because we knew how hurt you were and we took your side. If you feel that you can make a go of things again, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.’

  ‘Sure it does! You are my friends. I value your opinions.’

  ‘You don’t need our approval! And we’ll always be here for you.’

  ‘I know, but I was hoping that you would swear and slag her off and tell me not to go there again so that I would stop seeing her and―’

  ‘What are you so scared of?’ Riley wasn’t one for mincing her words. She put her hand on his arm. ‘Getting intimate again?’

  Dan’s face reddened in a second.

  ‘Oh,’ Riley grinned. ‘That was the second date. How do you feel about that?’

  Dan smiled. ‘It was okay, actually. But . . . I don’t know. It was right. So familiar. But at the same time it felt so wrong. It was as if I was going backwards rather than moving forwards.’

  ‘Maybe it will take a little time to adjust.’ Riley patted him on the arm. ‘For things to slip back into place.’

  ‘What if it doesn’t work out, Riles?’

  ‘But, what if it does? Sarah knows she hurt you so much before. She won’t do it again, surely?’

  Dan shrugged.

  ‘Anyone can make a mistake. It takes a lot of guts to say you’re sorry and to ask for forgiveness.’

  ‘I guess.’ Dan sighed.

  An elderly gentleman in a dapper suit came into the shop and approached them.

  ‘If you feel you want to try again with Sarah, then do it,’ Riley said to him quickly. ‘Life’s too short, Dan. And, if it doesn’t work out, we’ll be here for hugs and pizza and cake― Hi there, can I help you?’

  Riley had only been back from her lunch break for twenty minutes when a woman came in, walked straight up to her as she was checking through a list of invoices, and prodded her on the shoulder.

  ‘Do you enjoy going after other women’s men?’ she hissed.

  Riley was taken aback by the woman’s tone. She didn’t recognise her at all. Late thirties at a guess, with blonde hair cut in a layered bob and red glasses that suited her face. Her clothes were smart and she was well turned out.

  ‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ Dan was over to them in a flash.

  The woman ignored him and continued to speak to Riley. ‘You were the one sleeping with my husband.’

  ‘I― I beg your pardon,’ Riley stuttered. Then she paled. Oh no, please, no. She couldn’t be talking about Nicholas. And if she was, how the hell had she found out? Ash was the only person she had told about what had happened. This was all she needed, with the farce that Clarissa had started still continuing online.

  ‘I saw your video,’ the woman continued, pointing a finger at her. ‘At first, I thought it was an excellent idea. I was even going to come down here myself and support you! But then I looked a little closer at you and I knew I recognised you from somewhere else.’ She pulled her mobile phone from her bag. ‘It was only last night that it came to me. It took me a while to check on his phone but, yes, there you were. Here, take a closer look. That’s you and him, isn’t it?’

  Riley looked at the screen. It was a selfie of her and Nicholas. The woman must have copied it to from his phone to hers. It had been taken at Riley’s flat. She could remember the evening. She’d been happy then, not knowing any of his sordid secrets.

  The stupid idiot – why the hell did he still have it?

  The shop went silent as everyone waited for her to speak. What could she say but the truth? Which she had a feeling the woman wouldn’t want to hear.

  ‘It’s Liz, isn’t it?’ Riley said, quietly.

  ‘Yes.’ The woman nodded curtly.

  ‘He didn’t tell me he was married.’

  ‘And you expect me to believe that?’ The woman folded her arms.

  ‘But it’s not how it looks in―’ Riley began.

  ‘If what you’re suggesting is that Riley had an affair with your husband,’ said Dan, coming to her defence, ‘I suggest you get your facts straight first. She wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘I agree.’ Sadie stepped forward. ‘Riley isn’t that type of person.’

  ‘Thanks, Sadie.’ Riley tried to keep the shake from her voice. It had been bad enough when Clarissa had come into the shop
and blasted her down in front of everyone. She wasn’t going to take it a second time.

  ‘I didn’t do anything wrong. Nicholas lied to us both.’

  She saw Dan and Sadie share a look. Her shoulders drooped a little as she realised she had a lot of explaining to do once Liz had gone.

  ‘Do you want to come through to the staffroom and we can chat in private?’ she asked Liz, knowing that it was the lesser of two evils. She didn’t want her to cause more of a fuss in the shop, nor for it to spread out onto the High Street. It would be better if she could explain in private what had happened.

  Liz stood still for a moment before nodding.

  Feeling her skin flush as all eyes were on her, Riley led Liz through to the back, down the stairs and into the staffroom. She pointed to the small table crammed into the corner. ‘Please, sit down. I could do with a coffee. Would you like one?’

  Liz shook her head. ‘I just want to know what’s going on.’

  ‘Nothing is going on. I haven’t seen Nicholas since last year.’

  Liz frowned. ‘But I thought . . .’

  The silence that fell became claustrophobic.

  ‘How long have you known?’ Riley asked eventually.

  ‘Since New Year. I found a present – I assume it was for you. It was shoved in the bottom of the wardrobe.’ Liz laughed snidely. ‘The idiot hadn’t even got the brains to hide it somewhere I wouldn’t find it, or even throw it away. It was wrapped in Christmas paper and had a tag with your name on it.’

  Riley cringed inwardly. The stupid idiot, indeed.

  ‘When I confronted him, he said that it was for a woman at work. He said the gift was to thank her for helping him out with a business deal that had brought in a lot of money. It was a token gesture.’

  ‘And you didn’t believe him?’

  Liz shook her head. ‘He’s cheated twice before. Both times I took him back because I don’t have the financial means to cope on my own. With two children under five, I know the law is on my side, but where would I go? I can’t throw him out of the house.’

  Riley kept her expression neutral, fuming inwardly. He’d done it before? But of course. It was obvious.

  ‘So you checked his phone and found the photo of me?’ she asked.

  Liz nodded. ‘How long did the affair go on?’

  ‘Four months. I only saw him a couple of times a week.’

  ‘Let me guess. Tuesdays and Thursdays?’

  ‘Yes, and the odd Friday.’

  ‘When he told me he was playing squash.’

  Riley grimaced. ‘He told me he worked away, so couldn’t see me any more regularly. It was when it came to Christmas that it fell apart. I wanted to share Christmas Day with him.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’ Liz looked up with tears in her eyes. ‘How could he have left us at Christmas? How could he do that to his children?’

  ‘He couldn’t.’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘If you want to make your marriage work,’ said Riley, ‘that’s what you need to focus on. He couldn’t leave you for me.’

  ‘That doesn’t excuse what he did to us both!’

  ‘Maybe not. But when it came down to it, he didn’t want to leave you and the children.’

  ‘He didn’t want to rock the boat, you mean,’ Liz scoffed, folding her arms. ‘It was easier for him to walk away from you than it was to walk away from two children and a marriage. Don’t take this the wrong way, but he’ll probably have moved on to some other woman now. He can’t keep his dick in his trousers. He’s always been selfish, always wanted the best of both worlds.’

  Riley looked away, tears welling in her eyes as the emotions came flooding back. She could spare Liz her tears at least.

  ‘Does he know that you know?’ she asked instead.

  Liz shook her head. ‘Not yet. But his balls will be black by the time I’ve finished squeezing them.’

  ‘I am sorry,’ said Riley, sinking down into a chair opposite Liz. ‘Despite what you may have read about me lately, I would never have started an affair with a married man. He was deceitful to us both, but he was disloyal to you.’

  ‘Much more than you’ll ever know.’

  ‘I suppose you need to ask yourself how much you love him. Or how much you love what he can give you. If that’s enough, then great. But I suspect it isn’t.’

  Liz shook her head. ‘He doesn’t think I’ll ever leave him. He thinks I’ll play along with it.’ She sat up tall. ‘He’s right about one thing, though. I won’t leave. I’ve put my heart and soul into our house, and looking after the children is my job. He can find somewhere else to live.’

  Riley couldn’t help but smile. ‘Good for you,’ she said. ‘It won’t be easy, but it’s a start.’ Her smile slipped then. ‘I really am sorry.’

  Liz nodded. ‘I should have got my facts right before I walked in here. But I was so angry when I saw you on YouTube.’

  ‘It’s forgotten.’ Riley waved the comment away, wishing everything else could be forgotten as easily.

  They sat in quiet for a moment while Liz regained her composure. She stood up.

  ‘I’d better go. Leave you to your work while I sort out my own mess.’ She laughed awkwardly. ‘Maybe I should dump him by social media. It would serve him right.’

  Riley balked. ‘Please don’t share that photo. I’ve had enough bad press with someone else blaming me for―’

  ‘I wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Riley’s shoulders dropped. ‘You should definitely dump him, though,’ she agreed.

  Once Liz had gone, panic overtook Riley. Although she knew it was unlikely that Clarissa would find out about Liz and Nicholas, she hoped that none of what had happened today would leak out onto social media. Because if it did, it would just add more controversy.

  And Suzanne didn’t need any more ammunition to call off the competition.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  ’What the hell am I going to do about everything, Ash?’ said Riley as they got on the bus that night after work. ‘If anyone else comes into the shop and says I’ve run off with their man, I’m going to run off myself!’

  ‘Oh, Riley,’ Ash soothed as she shuffled along the seat.

  Riley sat down next to her. ‘Thousands of people on social media think I’m a home-wrecker. I hate that word. And I’m not one, full stop.’

  ‘It will all die down.’

  ‘Not for a while. Clarissa is trying to keep it going as long as she can. I know it’s getting better, and thankfully she won’t hear about today’s fiasco, but all the same. I’m going to get myself a reputation and I haven’t even done anything.’ Riley shrugged. ‘Anyway, let’s change the subject. How are you and wonder boy getting on?’

  ‘Oh, we’re doing okay,’ Ash grinned.

  ‘Ready to introduce him to us yet?’

  ‘No, I bloody am not! I need at least another year before that.’

  ‘It’s only fair. You’ve all met Ethan now. I can’t see what the big secret is.’

  ‘I want to be certain of things before I unleash my friends on him. I’m going to get enough stick about being a cradle-snatcher as it is.’

  ‘He’s not a teenager!’

  ‘But there is an eleven-year age gap. If I do stay with him, things will get complicated.’

  ‘Not necessarily,’ Riley snorted. ‘If I’ve learnt one thing over the past few weeks, it’s to live your life and don’t let anyone else stop you. I doubt you’ll get as much fuss as I’m getting.’

  Ash sighed. ‘I can’t believe Nicholas’s wife came in to see you. I bet you wanted the floor to open up and swallow you whole.’

  Riley nodded. ‘If it wasn’t for the flash mob, I could have easily gone on living my life as it was. Now, everyone knows me. I can’t hide anywhere.’

  ‘You shouldn’t have to hide,’ said Ash. ‘You’ve done nothing wrong. If anyone is to blame, it’s Nicholas for being such a selfish bastard, and Ethan for being a pushover. And now
you’re getting the blame for both their messes.’

  Riley smiled. It was just like Ash to stick up for her, and try to make her smile too.

  ‘So, where are you off to this evening?’ she wanted to know.

  ‘Out for a drink, I expect.’

  ‘I’m surprised I haven’t bumped into Warwick visiting you. I might have to pop upstairs for a cup of sugar.’

  ‘Ha ha. Well, if you do pop round this evening, Cooper will be here. I’ve got a problem with my electric fan in the bathroom and he’s coming over to look at it on his way home before I go out. Are you seeing Ethan later?’

  Riley nodded. ‘Yes, I think so.’

  ‘Staying in or going out?’

  ‘Staying in! I want a bit of peace and quiet.’

  ‘Oh, is that what they call it nowadays,’ Ash teased.

  Riley smirked. She was so lucky to have Ash. After Liz had left, Sadie and Dan had been trying to console her, but she couldn’t tell them what had happened with Nicholas. It was good of them to leave it alone, as she knew they would both be dying to know what had happened. She’d tell them soon. There was nothing to be gained by keeping it to herself now. And at least her friends wouldn’t think she was a fool.

  Despite everything that had been going on online, Riley spent a pleasant evening with Ethan. They’d chatted about Clarissa and put the world to rights. On the surface everything was good again; but underneath, there was an uneasiness between them. Riley wasn’t too sure that she should tell him about Liz and the events of the day, so she kept it to herself.

  The shop was fairly quiet the next morning, but at least another batch of the sandals had arrived. Sadie was wiping down a shelving unit before putting them out on display. Dan was supposed to be helping her but he was busy looking at his phone.

  ‘Anything nasty yet?’ asked Riley. She hadn’t checked her phone in a good while, for fear of the trolls’ comments getting her down.

  ‘There are still lots of competition entries coming in.’ Dan glanced her way before his head went down again. ‘Lots of not-so-nice tweets about you, too.’